Once Upon A Time: Part of Your World
by autumnzipper
Summary: Ariel is forced into Hook's schemes to have his revenge on Rumple/Gold, and we learn the true story to how she became Part of Our World. Opening for continuation if reader's merit worthiness!


Part of Your World

I hardly know where to start. I hardly know if I want to. Recent events first, I suppose, then we'll talk cause and effect:

It was the middle of the night and I was dreaming about a merman I once knew at home. I don't know why I was dreaming about him, maybe I was homesick – he asked me to sing for him. That used to be a common request; I don't sing anymore. I could hear my voice coming out of my mouth and it was so strange, so curious to hear it again after all this time. But I never regretted leaving it behind.

I would rather have Erik than anything in this whole world.

That was when the merman touched my mouth, like a gentle shush.

But then it wasn't so gentle anymore, and I was awake. I was breathing again, and not swimming, laying and not floating. Someone had their hand over my mouth, which is a little silly, considering I can't scream. Force of habit for kidnappers, I'd imagine.

Still groggy from sleep, I hadn't started struggling yet, but my panic kicked in when I heard Erik causing a ruckus beside me. So, they had him too.

Something cold and sharp rested on my neck, but it didn't feel like a knife or a sword. It was curved and smooth, and only the tip touched my skin. It could have been the edge of a dagger, but I took a guess and hoped I wasn't right.

Unfortunately, I was right, as I commonly am. I heard Erik say my name once, and it sounded like someone hit him. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to comfort someone who can't hear you. Wanting to just tell them it's all right, and not a word will come out of your stubborn throat. I've never even been able to say 'I love you'.

"Be a good girl and come quietly, sweetheart," came the whisper in my ear. That was obviously meant to be some sort of mocking. He passed me off to another man – a pirate, if you must know – tied my wrists, and whisked me away before I knew anything else.

Quick, quiet, and efficient. Yes. That was Hook.

A black hood slipped over my face and I fell into past memories.

_The black hood was ripped off my face and I tried to give my best angry hiss to my captors. Truth be told, I was scared to death. My dad had told me not to swim into the shallow waters. Safety in depth - that had been drilled into me since I was a tiny shrimp of a mergirl. But the shipwrecks on the reef were so sad and mysterious and curious, full of artifacts of an alien world. My favorite things in the world to find was books, as I found out my little flat seaweed with squiggles were called. Some of them had pictures, pictures of people. Humans. With legs and all their funny clothes. Hats were the strangest thing I thought they wore, and shoes were even curiouser. _

_That day, I swam into a net. It was terrifying. Nowhere to go in any direction, and no depth to swim into, only the break of the surf above my head. So, I swam to the surface in panic. But that was their plan. I hadn't noticed the ship passing through – they're always passing through – and suddenly, there were even more nets being thrown around me, and then I was hauled up, and dropped unceremoniously on a deck. I discovered I didn't like the human world much. There was so much commotion around me, frantic scrambling and yelling, I was too surprised to do much of anything. Inexperience and naiveté of the human world were my worst enemies in that moment, and before I knew it, someone had slipped a black hood over my face and my hands were in something hard and cold._

_So, when the hood came off and I was faced with a dark looking man and a wicked looking hook in the place of a hand, the hiss that I tried to threaten him with reflected more panic and fear than anger. When I looked around, all the men had pieces of cloth hanging out of their ears, or some had just stuck their fingers in them. But I wasn't a siren; I wasn't old enough. My older sisters were all sirens now, and so I knew what all that included. It was a mermaid's best defense._

_Which is why I had absolutely no business in the reef. I was defenseless. _

_The dark man looked angry. He had been smiling at first, but the longer we stared at one another, the more he began to frown. Then he pulled the strips out of his ears and swore at me. I hissed back for good measure, but I was fairly certain he wasn't scared of me. "False alarm, boys. This one's not ripe yet." He put a dent in the mast with his hook as he slashed at it. "I really thought we had something there." _

_I knew what they wanted - my sister Li Ban had told me stories about pirates like this. They captured sirens for their tears, which heal diseases and give new life to old bones. But it was hard to catch the sirens, much less keep them imprisoned, with their power to overcome the human's senses with their song. _

_But I was too young. My tears were nothing more than salt water. It would be more than a hundred years before I would be more than a little mermaid. _

_He looked back at me, his green eyes like tidal pools, a vortex that swallows everything in its path, empty in themselves, but filled with the pain and anger and torment they cause. "Sorry, sweetheart." He nodded to one of his men, who unsheathed his sword._

_The gravity of it all fell on me, and I did something that I regret very deeply. Perhaps it would have been better to die that day then to have caused the pain I did to myself and the man I came to love. "Wait! Please!" _

_The Captain held up his hand, and that smile came back. "She speaks!" he folded his arms and waited. I was so surprised he'd even acknowledged me that I didn't say anything for a moment. He raised an eyebrow and motioned with his hand for me to continue. "Well…?"_

"_You want tears…?"_

_He nodded. "An insightful guess."_

"_I can get you something better."_

_I'd piqued his interest, and he smirked and was silent, waiting for me to continue. _

"_There is a flower on the ocean floor that we eat. As we grow older, it is this flower that gives the sirens some of their power." That was a secret, but I didn't want to die._

"_And you'll get this flower for me?"_

_I nodded. _

"_So I'm just supposed to let you go, and believe you'll keep your word." He laughed at me. _

"_I promise to return with it, if you let me go. I won't break my word." And I've never broken a promise. "I promise." I repeated._

_He considered that. He stood over me, his menacing hook inches away, and I thought for a moment, that he would kill me anyways. But then, he extended his hook towards me and said. "Shake it."_

_I've since learned that that's the typical way one seals deals among humans. Amongst the merfolk, an agreement is sealed with a kiss. Apparently, he was aware of that custom, because after I shook his hand, he bent down and kissed me. "Now, we're both agreed. My name is Killian Jones, but they call me Captain Hook. You're more than welcome to call me Hook, and if you bring back this flower, I'll have to call you something besides 'sweetheart'. So, what's your name, redhead?"_

"_Ariel."_

I'm not sure what Hook could want from me now. I'd heard he'd done well enough for himself since our agreement had come to an end. Not that we'd left on good terms, or that he even considered our partnership dissolved. And when the curse had swept through the land, I assumed he had disappeared with everyone else. It's hard to explain how Erik and I escaped, but I can tell you I'm not too bad with magic myself when it comes down to it.

So when Hook took the mask off very roughly, I got right down to business. I slapped him in the face.

I was back on the deck of the Jolly Roger again. What had been my first introduction to the human world was about to become my last link to my human life…

He chuckled and rubbed his cheek, then shouted to Smee, who proceeded to pommel Erik. I've never wanted to scream so badly.

Hook held me back. "That really wasn't the best way to greet your oldest friend, Ariel, m'dear. I've gone through an awful lot of trouble to get you here. Now, I need you to listen carefully." He motioned for Smee to stop.

Erik. Poor Erik. He didn't know about this part of my life. How could he? I couldn't tell him about it.

"I need you to do something for me, Ariel."

I gave him a look that I hoped came across as impatience. I'd gotten good at body language.

"You never told me the whole truth about that flower."

Too good at body language – my whole face gave away my surprise. How in the world could he know that?

"I need you to bring me one." He glared at me. "All of it." His green eyes were angry in the low candlelight. "You didn't think I'd want to know about all it's properties?"

I was still stuck on 'bring me one'. I pointed to my legs. Not really going to reach the ocean floor, Hook…

Hook sighed. "Oh yes. That _is_ a problem isn't it?"

Then he plunged his hook into Erik's chest.

_No. No, no, no!_ My legs started to weaken and I fell to my knees. "Your mortality as a human is tied to the man you love. If he dies, the spell is broken and you turn into a mermaid again," Hook was saying. "And I'm afraid I really, really need you to be a mermaid again."

I crawled to Erik's side. My bare feet were already turning pale green, flushing to emerald. They'd dropped him to the deck and a pool of scarlet was gathering around him. His skin was so pale, his blue eyes growing dim. He looked at me with a smile. "It's okay, Ariel. It's all right."

The tears were more than I could hold in. I took his hand in mine and held it to my face.

He touched my lips with his fingertips with a smirk. "Don't forget that I love you."

_Don't die, Erik. Please, don't die. I love you!_

But his eyes were closed and his hand fell from mine. His breath left.

When a mermaid cries, it's not like human crying or human tears. A mermaid crying sounds like the wind dying against the cliffs on the shore, or like the squall in the middle of a typhoon. But I can't cry like that. I have no voice. But I have tears, and they're violet and full of light. The predecessor to siren tears, which means the magic is working, and I'm becoming a mermaid again. My tears can now heal the sick, but only temporarily.

They can't bring him back.

I looked down at my legs, but they weren't legs anymore. My familiar emerald tail, ending an inch below my belly button, had returned. I was still in my white nightgown. "Let's see if the transformation is complete, shall we?" Hook pulled it off, and I was too weak with sorrow to resist. Yes, the same emerald scales that covered my lower body dotted my fingers, arms, and shoulders, then wreathed their way to cover my breasts and ended in a little twist down my right side. Individual like fingerprints on humans, a mermaid's scales are unique to each and mine were back again.

I was no longer a part of Erik's world.

_When they tossed me back in the ocean, a part of me said 'swim away, and just keep swimming'. But there was another part of me. A part that wanted to be part of another world, to learn more about them. A desire that I had never shared with anyone. I wanted to be one of them. To walk. To dance. I didn't like that pirate, but I did like what he could offer me. _

_I went down to the flower fields and took one. Careful to only take the flower itself. I left the root behind. _

_Then, before returning to Hook, I retrieved something from my favorite shipwreck._

_When I surfaced, he was waiting in a row boat, the Jolly Roger only a little ways off. I offered the gold flower to him, which he took with a good amount of reverence and awe. "So… this is where you get your siren tears? A magic, golden seaflower?"_

_I didn't answer. Let him think whatever he wanted to about it. It was true enough._

_He stowed the flower and turned back to me with a strange sort of smile. "Well, Ariel, it was a pleasure doing business with you."_

"_There's more where that came from." I offered._

"_Is that right?" He cocked his head with a glint in one of his dark eyes. _

"_I want something in return."_

"_And that is?"_

_I gave him what I brought. "What is it?"_

_He took the waterlogged belonging and flipped through it. "It's a book…" he shrugged and gave it back. "It's for reading."_

"_I want to learn how to read. If you teach me how to read, I'll bring you flowers." My dad was absolutely going to kill me. _

_The Captain was studying me, as if he didn't believe me. "Reading lessons for magic flowers?"_

_I nodded and gave him my hand like I had seen him do. "Shake?"_

_He took another minute before he shook my hand, then he bent over the side and pressed his lips against mine. I don't like it when he kisses me; rough, demanding. "I think I'm starting to like little mermaids." He opened the book and pointed to the first sentence. "Once upon a time," he sounded out._

_I pulled myself up so I was halfway in the boat, with my tail in the water and started my first reading lesson._

_And that was how it started. When he was in the area, I would bring flowers, and he would bring books. I learned quickly._

_But there was no way my actions were going to go unnoticed. _

My sadness was quickly, very quickly, giving away to anger. When I had the strength to turn away from Erik, I found myself staring at Hook. I had never liked him, but I had never hated him either. This was more than hate. This was the epitome of pure loathing, I wanted to rip his throat out. Or drown him. Yes, I wanted to drown him. Over and over.

He knew it. I know he could see it in my eyes. "You're starting to look more like a siren, little mermaid."

If he thought I was going to help him now, he was dead wrong.

Hook had become more desperate since I had last seen him. He looked so much older and worn. Even angrier, if that was possible. "You help me, and we can bring him back."

He seemed to be telling the truth, but I was always bad at telling if people were lying. I waited for him to elaborate.

"You see, I need to kill a crocodile. But first, get the root."

Oh, I would get him his root. I needed time to think about how I was going to kill him.

_I guess they had to notice sooner or later. Alonike caught on first. There are twelve of us, all sisters. Moiya, Calypsa, Alonike, Leviathel, Atla, Quata, Nymphia, Li Ban, Mair, Severne, Ursula, Jaleh, and then me, Ariel. We're all as diverse as two waves are from each other. But Alonike and I are the most similar. Maybe our red hair goes to our brains, but we are most often on our own, away from our school, exploring. And as a big sister, she's a little protective. On top of that, she's a nine hundred year old siren. So, she can get a little pissy at times. That's a human word._

_There's a cove on the shore where I store my things, like my books, out of the water. If it's a misty day when no sailors passing will see me, I would sit on the rocks and read, as best I could anyhow._

"_So, is this where you've been hiding lately?" She surprised me. Alonike was stealthy, and she snuck up on me and discovered my stash. _

"_Yes." I lied, knowing it was only a half truth. _

"_Where did you get all these things?" She asked, her sharp teeth showing. She kept them filed for… hunting._

"_Shipwrecks."_

_She took the book I was reading away. "This doesn't look like it came from a shipwreck," she insinuated slowly. "And how do you know how to read the human writing?" _

_I took too long to answer her question and she threw the book out across the water. It plunked beneath the waves and sunk. "You've been seeing humans haven't you?"_

_Now I was angry. It was a good book about far off places, daring sword fights, magic spells, and a prince in disguise. The human world seemed to be such a remarkable place to me. Every day, I was wanting more and more to become… human. "Yes, I have! And it's not as bad as they say."_

"_I once thought as you did, Ariel," Alonike said, a bit sadly. "But the human world is no place for you."_

"_But did you ever talk to them? Learn about them? It can't be all bad!"_

"_I loved a human once, Ariel." I was shocked. She had never even hinted at this. "His name was Alexander, and he was a great king."_

_I could hear the catch coming. "What happened?"_

"_We could never be together. I cannot live on the land, and he cannot live in the sea. We cannot be a part of their world, and they cannot be a part of ours. To continue as you are will only break your heart. Follow your sisters and leave this folly behind."_

_She was right. All the dreams I entertained of being part of the human's world were ridiculous and unthinkable. _

_So we thought._

"_And Ariel," Alonike's voice was stern. "Don't let me catch you with humans."_

"_You won't." I promised._

_I already knew it was a promise I would be breaking. The first of many. _

"_Good, because if I do, I'd have to cut out their hearts." I could tell Alonike wasn't convinced, but she left without further threats. I was frustrated and a little angry. And for some reason, the idea that I couldn't have what I wanted just made me want it more. And more._

"_So, you want to lose the tail, do you dearie?"_

_A man had appeared out of nowhere. He had a grey face and dark, dirty hair, and his hands danced against one another as if he were filled with an evil sort of glee at all times. I felt as if I should be afraid of him, but he was fascinating at the same time, for a reason I can't explain. "Who are you?"_

"_The question you should be asking yourself is, 'who am I'? Well? Mermaid or human? Which is it?" He chuckled to himself. "But to answer your question, I am Rumplestiltskin, at your service." He swept low in a bow, then giggled again._

"_Ariel."_

_He pointed a haggard finger at me. "Oh, I know your name, dearie."_

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_I'm here to help you! You want to be a human, right? I can make that happen." He snapped his fingers. "Just like that." He went *poof* and spread his hands dramatically._

"_How?"_

_He looked at me like I was an idiot. "Magic, of course, what else?!" _

_My father had a saying about that: "Magic comes with a price."_

_Rumplestiltskin gasped. "A girl after my own heart! You're right, magic does come with a price, and for this spell, the price is right!"_

"_And that price is?"_

"_Your very lovely voice."_

_I instinctively clasped my throat. "What would you want with my voice?"_

"_Oh, I get lonely…" The Dark One chuckled. "You can't think of a few things a chap could do with a siren voice? You don't realize what a precious commodity you have there, lurking in your throat, dearie!" He smirked. "Small price to pay for the life you always wanted…"_

"_But it's not…"_

"_A siren voice? I know it's not, but it will be. One day. I have time. I can wait. And there's more to a siren's voice than death, you know." He withdrew a contract from his black cloak. "Just sign, and you can be part of this world."_

_And there it was, right in front of me. I could have done it right then. But I couldn't. What if Alonike was right? What if the human world was no place for a mermaid? I slid off the rock and back into the sea._

_Where I belonged._

I slid off the deck and plunged beneath the waves. If I had a voice like my sister's, I would have lured the whole crew to their death by now, my anger was so fierce. I would avenge Erik, but if I had learned one thing while living among the humans, it was deception. They were masters at it, and I could be too.

The sea had changed since I left it. It seemed darker. Or perhaps it was the human in me.

I found the flower fields. Sometimes I would take the little golden flowers and put them in my hair. Quata would always scold me when I did that because it was 'wasteful'.

I missed them sometimes, my sisters. I doubt that they would want to see me now. I had deserted them. I left them for another world. I traded all of them for one man.

I plucked up a flower, and then dug in the mud until I found what I was looking for. The root. It was black, with red veins running through it, oozing scarlet substance like human blood.

And then I floated there a while, looking at it. What I was doing was forbidden. It was bad enough I had taken one, but it was far worse, unforgiveable even, to give it to a human.

"Ariel?"

I turned to find myself face to face with the familiar face of Moiya, my eldest sister. Her maroon scales shimmered in the dark depths, pure white hair billowing around her perfectly pallid skin. "It's really you."

I nodded.

"You've lost your voice." Her own voice was ancient and haunting, like a shipwreck in the shallow water under a violet moon. Danger lurked in it.

I nodded again.

She looked closely at me. "You've lost more than that." She looked at the root in my hand. "Is that for a human?"

Yes and no. I was taking it to Hook, yes, but she meant to be used on a human, which was no. I had better plans for him. But I nodded, because in the end, the result would be the same.

"Good." She smiled, her pearly white fangs exposed as her violet eyes flashed. "Don't worry, little mermaid, we can make a siren out of you yet." Then with a flick of her blood tinted scales, she disappeared into the abyss.

_As hard as it was, I was beginning to think that I would have to end this fantasy I had revolving around humans. How long could it last? _

"_I think this will pique your interest, Ariel." Hook was saying when I met him next. "It's a book of lore on mermaids."_

_So this would tell me everything that the humans thought of us. I gave him the net full of flowers in exchange. "Have they served you well?"_

"_I just sold one to a King whose wife was very ill and pregnant. I'm starting to make a name for myself." He touched me on the chin playfully with his hook. "And no one can figure out my little secret." _

_I knew the pirate wanted me – human men can't really help themselves when it comes to my kind. He'd already demonstrated he was more than willing to kiss me. So this would be easy. I'd seen my sisters do it. Who needed a siren voice? I pulled myself up on the boat so only my tail was in the water, as I often did when he would give me lessons. "Hook?" I took one of the flowers and set it behind my ear as I turned to him._

_He leaned forward just a bit, smirking a little, his green eyes sparkling. "Yes?"_

_I held his gaze, looking deep into his eyes. "Have you heard the story of the mermaid and the king?"_

_By the empty gaze in his eyes, I could see he was beguiled already. "Was he a pirate king?"_

_Oh yes, he could be arrogant, even when he was only half there. "Yes, you see, the mermaid was very lonely and wanted to make the king immortal. She would have given anything for him to be with her. So, she decided to bring him with her beneath the waves, and she sang a song for him, it goes:_

_I would kiss him often under the sea,_

_And kiss him again til he kissed me._

_Laughingly, laughingly,_

_O, what a happy life were mine._

_Under the hollow hung, ocean green!_

_Soft are the moss beds under the sea,_

_We would live, merrily, merrily._

"… _merrily, merrily…" When I touched my lips to his, I began my descent backwards to the water again. And as I suspected, he began to follow me. I made sure to go slow, being patient so he wouldn't suspect. Farther, farther, until the boat began to tip a bit. But he didn't notice._

_Then, I was startled out of my enchantment by the cold, sharp prick of metal against my throat. "Good try, sweetheart. But you're not a siren yet." _

_I couldn't move, not with his hook threatening to slice my throat at any second. So, here I was again. I tried flattery. "I just wanted to kiss you, is all."_

_He obviously didn't believe that. "You're all the same aren't you? Playful, seductive, fickle, lying creatures."_

"_Don't be angry, Hook." The weapon was making it hard to breathe. "I was just playing." _

"_I'm not."_

_And I think he would have killed me right then if another ship hadn't come out of the fog and distracted him. I took my chance and dove under, thinking I had just done the stupidest thing in my life. _

_And I was about to do the next stupidest thing. _

_I wanted to see who the newcomers were._

Hook helped me back up on the boat, and took the root. Now, I wanted to know how he planned on bringing Erik back. But he was busy fiddling with a compass. "All hands, abandon ship."

Smee looked shocked. "Abandon the ship, Captain?"

"You heard me, Mr. Smee!"

"But Captain, you've only just got back from…"

"I know where I've been and I know what I've been doing, just obey me! Get everyone in the lifeboats. Leave the mermaid and the dead man."

I watched as the hands made a mad scramble for the lifeboats and cast off from the ship. Which left me alone with him.

"I suppose you're wondering where we're going." Hook said with a mad sort of smile. "Well, we're going to a land without magic. A land where someone very powerful is hiding. And when I kill him, you can have all his power, and you can bring your beloved Erik back. Would you like that?"

That didn't sound too bad. Granted, I could kill Hook also. But I had a feeling it wouldn't be nearly as easy as he made it sound. At the moment, there was only so much I could do.

I nodded, and he knelt closer to show me his compass. "This shows you what you want most. And what I want most is to kill the crocodile."

I wasn't sure who this 'crocodile' was, but it quite obviously wasn't a crocodile.

Hook went to the helm and rotated several degrees to port. "Looks like it's second star to the left and straight on from here."

_The second ship was flying a great flag with a black horse and rider on it encircled by a crown. That meant that there was royalty on board, which I had learned – consequently – from Hook's books. I was sure that meant there was about to be a battle of some sort, and I couldn't wait to see! _

_Hook was back aboard the Jolly Roger, shouting commands. I didn't know what any of them meant, except 'load the cannons'. _

_Then the captain of the new ship began yelling at the pirates, "You are hereby ordered by his Majesty the Prince of Denmar to surrender your ship, immediately, or you will be fired upon!"_

"_Well, you can tell his Majesty that if he does not surrender _his_ ship immediately, _you_ will be fired upon, and may I remind you that the Jolly Roger does not take prisoners!" Hook shouted in return._

"_We will not surrender to pirates!"  
"How terribly unfortunate for you!" Hook turned to his crew. "Fire!"_

_I expected to see cannon balls, but they were not round projectiles that shot out of the cannons. They were long spears with splayed ends, attached to rope, which fell on the other ship and hooked to the masts, deck, and everything else._

_The crew must have done this many times, because very soon, the ropes had been pulled tight, and the ships were close enough to touch. _

_It was quite an experience, watching all of them fight each other. I can't say that I liked it. Hook went straight for a man wearing a crown, who wasn't a very good swordsman, and soon lay dead at his feet. _

_But then, another man jumped up to fight him, and he caught my attention. He was tall and had beautiful blonde curls like gold. He was nothing more than a deck hand, by his clothes, but he wielded his sword like a pirate, and even Hook was having a bit of a time with him. Soon, the crew of the Jolly Roger overpowered them, but still the young man kept fighting. And he didn't give up when he was the last man standing, but finally, Hook ordered him subdued, and he could hardly fight off ten men at once. _

_And if you must know, his name was Erik._

"I've been there before. To this world we're going to. Chances are, I won't come back." Hook chuckled as he steered. We'd been sailing a day already. "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

I wouldn't like it unless I was the one to do it.

"I remember him you know." He looked at Erik, still lying on the deck beside me. "I suppose you saved him then, when he walked the plank. Did Rumplestiltskin tell you how to become a human so you could be with him? He was a nobody!"

But he was a prince to me.

To tell the truth, I wasn't feeling too well. I was a mermaid again, and mermaids live in water. I wasn't going to be doing much killing if I couldn't get my strength back. I needed water.

Hook noticed, sighed and took the top of a barrel. "This is the good drinking water too." Then he picked me up, and set me inside. "There you go, sweetheart."

I never liked it when he called me that. My heart wasn't sweet at all. It was only getting blacker.

_He walked the plank without apparent fear. Like he wasn't afraid of dying. I remembered being in his position and being afraid to die. Suddenly, I was jealous, jealous of his courage. He dropped off the edge and into the water. I waited for him to come up for air, then realized with panic that he wasn't. Why was I panicking? What did I care whether he lived or died?_

_I cared. There was something to admire in him. Selflessness. Bravery. Peace. _

_I dove under._

_He was sinking, and his eyes were closed. I don't know why I did it, but I pulled him up from under his arms and pulled him to the surface, steering clear of the ships and Hook. He was barely breathing._

_I pulled him to the safety of my secret cove about a mile away. I laid him on the rocks and looked at him. He would be all right, I was sure. We were close to shore, he could take it from here. _

_But I couldn't pull my eyes away from his face, so serene and handsome. If you didn't know, mermen aren't exactly known for their good looks. So he really raised the bar for me. His wet golden ginger locks set on his temples, framing sharp cheekbones. My heart felt like it was stopping, slowing down, becoming fluttery. I reached out and touched his hair, moving it out of his eyes. I moved with a splash to retrieve one of the books from a little cave, the one that started with 'once upon a time'. I flipped through the pages, and sure enough, I was right. According to the book, I was in love! _

_What was it Alonike had said about interfering with humans? It will only break your heart! Now, I was mad at myself. _

_I looked back at my rescue, and didn't have a clue as to what I should do. I just wanted to touch his hair again. And there was something else I wanted to see; toes! Such strange little things. _

_I must have stayed there for hours while he slept on the rock, and I lay there watching him and singing to myself. _

_Then his eyes were open! He'd seen me! I followed my first instinct and dove. But that other part of me, the part that wanted to be human, was screaming at me to stop and swim back. _

_That part won._

_I came slowly, because I didn't want to scare him, and he was clinging to the rock like it was his life line. But he was smiling. Not like Hook ever smiled at me. This smile was almost a laugh, a comfortable, welcoming smile. And his eyes were blue, like mine, but lighter. Like the sky. I just poked my eyes out so I could look at him. "Hello, there." He pushed himself up weakly and continued to smile. "I suppose thanks are in order for saving my life." He dipped his head in a bow. "My name is Erik."_

_I had come this far. I swam to the opposite rock and pulled myself up. "Ariel." I'm surprised any sound came out of my throat at all, I was so mesmerized by him._

_All of the sudden, it was like the wind had been knocked out of him. "Ariel." _

_When he said my name, it was all over._

_I had to be human. _

It was sudden when the fog cleared and a strange city was in front of us. One moment it was there when it hadn't been a second ago. Hook was smiling, "There it is. Storybrooke."

I looked down to find that I had legs, once again. Getting his attention, I got him to bring me my nightgown. I made sure to bare my teeth at him when he got too close. "I can't decide if I like mermaid Ariel or human Ariel better – they're both just so charming."

I didn't need a voice to hiss at him. But I did snap my teeth for good measure.

"_Rumplestiltskin!" I didn't know if he could hear me, but he knew magic, so it was always possible. "Rumplestiltskin!" I had swum away from Erik, to another cove a ways off. _

"_Whatever the situation, there is no need to shout, dearie." I spun around to find him seated comfortably on a nearby rock. "So, you've reconsidered my offer? Best deal you're going to find." He chuckled mysteriously._

_I nodded. "I want to be human."_

_He withdrew the contract from his jacket with a feathered pen. "All you have to do is sign." I reached for it, but he jerked it away suddenly. "Ah, I almost forgot. This only gets you your legs for three days." _

_My heart dropped. "Three days? What happens then?"_

"_If you can get the lad – because, I know there's a lad, or you wouldn't be here – to kiss you in three days, you keep the legs. True love's kiss seals the potion. You can't expect me to do all the work, dearie. Shouldn't be a problem for you…"_

"_What about my voice? Do I get that back as well?"_

_He giggled. "Of course not! That's my price. A man has to make a profit, somehow."_

_I took the pen, hesitantly, and signed my name. "Is that it?"_

_Or at least, that's what I meant to say. But no sound came out when I opened my mouth. "Very good doing business with you. I hope you enjoy your… legs." With a giggle, he was gone._

We were walking through the little town, Hook too close to me for comfort. "The man we are here to kill, you know as Rumplestiltskin, but here, in Storybrooke, he goes by Mr. Gold." He handed me the root. "And you're going to do it."

I shook my head and pushed it back. I wasn't killing anyone for him.

He started getting angry. "You do this, and I'll show you how to bring Erik back."

I didn't really believe him, but I was still plotting. I had to buy time.

"You tried to kill me once, so consider this your penance."

He tried to kill me first, but I didn't mention it. I really couldn't. And I wanted to bring Erik back. I had to.

The little bell above a shop door dinged as I walked into the store called 'Mr. Gold's Antiques'. "Good afternoon, how can I-"

He was the same man, but he wasn't dirty or funny looking. His grey hair was combed and he was dressed in a suit. He wasn't the same giddy imp who had met me on the shore and stole my voice. He looked respectable and even nice. "Well, this is a surprise. I might even say I'm happy to see you, Ms. Ariel." He noted the root in my hand. "Ah."

With a puff of purple smoke, it was gone. "That's better."

Well, this was awkward. Now what?

He was quiet a moment, then used a cane to limp around the counter and rummage through a cabinet until he pulled out a purple starfish. "This is just on loan, you understand." He handed it to me, then turned away. "How did you get here?"

"Is that it?" My voice! Picking right back up where I had left off. "Captain Hook. He killed Erik and he said that if I kill you then I could have the power to bring Erik back, but I don't believe him. How did you get here? What is this place?"

"Slow down, dearie." He said with a smile. "Erik? That's the man you left your mermaid life behind for?"

I nodded.

"And Hook told you that by killing me, you could bring him back?"

"Yes."

"Well, this may come as a surprise to you, but he is lying, my dear." He said sadly. "Now, I may be the most powerful magician alive, but no amount of magic can bring back the dead. Except…" He put a hand to his mouth as he thought while looking at me.

"Except what?"

"True love."

"What do you mean?"

He tapped his fingers against the counter, then said, "True love's kiss has been known to bring back the dead. But it's more complicated than that. You'll need whatever it was that caused you two to first fall in love." He frowned. "Your voice."

"How do you know that's what it was?"

He smirked and offered me a small laugh. "You're a mermaid, my dear. It was your voice, believe me."

I breathed slowly and hoped. "Then, can I have it back?"

He looked about to say no. "Please, Rumplestiltskin. I love Erik. I'll do anything you want, if you'll just give me my voice back so I can save him. If you've ever loved someone, you'll understand." I pleaded, and my voice broke. Stars, it was wonderful to hear it break. "Please."

Mr. Gold sighed, and then pulled out a stack of papers. Contracts. He extracted one. "This is your contract. I'll rip it up if you like." He held up a hand. "But then, you'll be a mermaid forever. But you can save him."

I could never be with him again. But it was better than him being dead. "Please." It was more than I had a right to ask for.

He ripped it in half. Then the contract dissolved to golden dust, which he blew away.

_It hadn't been hard to get Erik to believe I was the mermaid he had seen, surprisingly. I swam back – awkwardly – to the rock I had left him on and proudly showed off my new legs. It had been frustrating at first, trying to communicate, but he accepted me, loved me, and understood me. He kissed me, and I had seven years of wonderful bliss with him by my side. As a human, in his world. People who love each other don't need words. I had found true love, and true love was better than the fairy tales said. _

I turned to leave, but Mr. Gold called out to me again. "Ah, dearie, one more thing." The root appeared in his hand again and he held it out to me. "Do me a favor and get rid of the pirate, will you?"

I looked at the pulsing root, then shook my head. "I'm sorry. I won't kill him."

He gave me a queer look. "He killed your love. Don't you want revenge? I can see it in your heart." He smiled cruelly. "You want to kill him. You _should _kill him."

He was right. Every bone in my body wanted to kill him. But now, I realized that Erik would never want me to kill. He would rather be dead than have blood on my hands. "That's why I can't."

Gold tapped the tip of his cane impatiently, then smiled. "You don't mind if I keep this?"

I walked out. "He's all yours."

I could almost feel him smile behind me. "Oh, I won't kill him just yet. I have a feeling I might need some leverage."

Outside, Hook was waiting for me, "Well?"

I continued past him. "Look for yourself."

I ran back to the ship. I could feel my body trying to change, but I couldn't. I had to get back. I had to get to Erik.

No! The spell was wearing off and I fell in the middle of the street. I couldn't get back on my own.

"Guys!" I heard someone yelling, and I turned to find a young boy approaching me. "Wow. You're a mermaid."

I looked down. He was right. I was back again. Back to myself. Maybe this is how I belong. "Yes. Yes, I am."

"Henry! Stay back!" A blonde woman pulled who I only imagine was her son away from me. "Who are you?"

"She's Ariel, Mom!"

How did he know who I was? "How do you know me?"

Henry looked up at his mother. "Emma, she's Ariel, the little mermaid. Except she's been turned back into a mermaid!"

"Yeah, I can see that. Do you… need help, or something?"

I could see the docks. "I need to get to Hook's ship."

Two more people had joined us, a man and a woman. The woman covered her mouth as a gasp escaped her lips. "Hook is back?"

"Not for long. Please, help me get back to the ship, I have to save Erik!"

They looked between themselves, as if unsure, but Henry was adamant. "You guys have to help her! She's on our side – she's good!"

I'm not sure how he knew that, but I was thankful for him. The man stooped down and picked me up. "Snow, drive the car around."

"Yes, Charming." The dark haired woman ran off and came back with a loud contraption that they placed me in, and then took me to the docks.

And then I was back on that ship, back beside Erik. Henry was telling them to give me my space and back up.

I bent down and kissed his lips. I expected them to be cold.

They were warm.

"Erik?!" I kissed him again.

When I opened my eyes, he was looking at me. "Ariel?"

I laughed at him and threw my arms around him. It had worked.

He was back.

I didn't care if we couldn't live together. I didn't care that we came from different worlds. All I cared was that he was alive.

He smiled at me. "You get everything you want, don't you?"

Yes. Yes, I do. "You're all that I want, Erik."

"Well, congratulations," he winked. "You've got me." He blinked in surprise. "And your voice!"

I laughed. "You just noticed that?

"I'm sorry, I was too busy taking in your beauty."

There was an awkward cough, and I remembered my friends. "Erik, these people are friends…" I trailed off, forgetting their names, besides the young one.

"Henry, Emma," The blond started with her son, then gave her name, "And my parents, Snow, and that's Charming."

Erik stood to greet them, then realized that wasn't going to be happening for me, so he graciously scooped me up. "I'm indebted to you." He smiled down at me, "We both are."

Snow waved us off with a red lipped smile. "No trouble. We're always in the market for helping true love."

Charming was staring at Erik. "Have I met you somewhere before?"

Erik's eyes turned stormy. I hadn't seen them look like that. "No, I don't believe so."

Charming seemed to take that in stride… but something was not right.

Henry was staring at me, but I suppose that's to be expected – I doubt he's seen a mermaid before. "Hey, you should stay with us! We have a pool!"

"Henry…" his Mom smiled at me apologetically.

I wasn't sure what a pool was, but I was in some desperate need of water; my scales felt itchy and dry. "Anywhere with water will do," I said softly.

They all looked between each other. "Let's get you to our house," Snow decided for all of them. "We can talk about things there. I'd love to hear your story."

From the look on Erik's face, I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. But we followed, and for the moment, I was more than content right where I was in his arms.

I looked behind me at the sea. A sea where there were no mermaids. I didn't belong here on land, but I didn't belong in that ocean either.

There was no world for me here that was going to be accommodating.

Hook stood between the crocodile and the exit, flexing his one good hand nervously. "Little seawitch…" he scowled.

"Oh, don't be like that, Hook – you got yourself into this. You were hasty." Gold 'tsked' loudly as he looked down at the throbbing root. "Lovely present you brought me. One of the few magical items I've yet to possess. Well worth the trade for the mermaid's voice. Would have had to wait another eighty or so years before it was of any use anyways."

"I'll kill you."

"You should have done it when you had the chance, instead of getting a woman to do it for you, Hook. For shame." He held the heart out closer to Hook, who took a nervous step back. "Now, I'll be needing your ship."

"What for? Retirement cruise, old man?"

Gold smirked. "Do you even have any idea what this does?"

"Yes, it kills people – I've heard. I didn't just have a craving and order it up."

"Not just people, you idiot pirate." Gold stroked the tenuous surface and smiled. "Everything. It will kill anything."

Hook's eyes narrowed and the tiniest of smiles touched his hardened lips. "Even…?"

Gold nodded. "Even curses."

To be continued…


End file.
